Neil Fachie OBE brought the curtain down on a glittering career with a second gold medal of Glasgow 2026, his seventh Commonwealth Games gold, cementing his place as Team Scotland’s most successful athlete of all-time.
Having won the 1000m Time Trial on Thursday evening alongside new pilot Aaron Pope, the duo wanted to further write the Aberdonian’s name in the history books and that they did.
The Men’s Tandem B Sprint is a long day with multiple head-to-head sprints, Fachie admitting afterwards it was one of the hardest days racing he’s ever done.
Having progressed to the gold medal ride without missing a beat, the Scottish pairing would take on Wales’ James Ball’s tandem, spearheaded by Fachie’s former pilot Matt Rotherham.
In the first sprint, the Scottish pair looked in a league of their own, winning from the front by a full bike length. It was role reversal at the second time of asking however, Fachie and Pope not quite having the speed to come round their rivals on the final lap.
That sent it to a decider, which was packed full of drama.
With Fachie and Pope in the lead, the Welsh tandem started to make the pass, before cutting down and colliding with the home team, sending them sliding down the track. Picking themselves up, with holes in their skinsuits, Fachie and Pope meant business.
With the third sprint re-started, and adrenalin coursing through their veins after the crash, the Scots lead out the sprint. As they hit the backstraight the Welsh started to charge, coming up alongside them, but they couldn’t get through.
Fachie and Pope dug deeper than they have all week to edge clear to pandemonium at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. Soaking up the adoration on their victory laps, this was a sweet, sweet ending for Fachie who will retire after these Games.
Speaking afterwards, he said:
“This is beyond any dreams. I just came here to enjoy it, I hoped to take any medal, to maybe make it to the top of the [all-time medal] list and to be two golds clear is just outrageous. I can say hand on heart that this is the race and what a race to finish on, with all the drama and in front of this crowd.
“Determination got us through and Aaron was an absolute machine on the front of the tandem, I couldn’t even have got close to doing it without him.”
Erin Boothman couldn’t quite repeat her double bronze medal winning heroics in the Women’s 25km Point Race, as despite a lap gain early in the race, she would finish in sixth place. Unfortunately Neah Evans was taken down in a crash, whilst Kate Richardson finished 14th.
A frantic Men’s Scratch Race closed off the evening’s proceedings, all three Scots thankfully avoiding a sizeable crash on the penultimate lap. Mark Stewart was top Scot in sixth.
In the first ever Women’s 10000m Time Trial, Lauren Bell and Ellie Stone both attacked their efforts superbly, and like any kilo, they had to dig deep when the pain took over on the last lap. Separated by just one place, Bell finished sixth and Stone seventh.
